Sledgehammer
by the cowardly figment
Summary: Based of Syfy Mini-Series Alice. Alice chose Jack and stayed in Wonderland ruling as the new Queen. Hatter, hurt and bitter still runs his tea shop and helps Alice but things aren't the same. Then one day a new girl falls through the looking glass...
1. Prologue

_Please stay tuned for more, the first chapter should be up later tonight. _

**Sledgehammer**

**A Syfy Mini-Series Alice Fanfic **

**Prologue- Alice's Choice**

Jack offered Alice the ring of Wonderland and she had accepted it with a long deep kiss .Jack then spun her around in his arms and only once they stopped spinning did he announce the new Queen of Wonderland had been dubbed.

In mere seconds Hatter's heart shattered as he watched from the doorway of the building. Charlie cheered loudly with excitement and embraced Alice. Hatter on the other hand was already out the door. He stumbled around aimlessly only aware of the heavy thumping against his ribs, his hands and legs shaking and his lungs tight barely able to take in enough air to keep him conscious. His head hurt and his eyes stung. She chose Jack after everything they'd been through she chose Jack. He collapsed on the ground no idea how far he'd ventured, no clue how long he'd been walking and the rest of the night that's where he lay as his eye lids grew heavy and he disappeared into his subconscious.

Charlie found Hatter passed out in the middle of the forest. He sighed heavily at the pitiful sight then nudged Hatter in the side with his foot. Hatter groaned loudly before rolling on to his back and looking up at Charlie. Charlie pulled Hatter to his feet and helped him back to his Tea Shop where once settled Hatter found a letter addressed to him.

_Dear Hatter,_

_I know you probably hate me right now but I love Jack, even after everything. I hope your okay and that one day you'll forgive me and remain my close friend. I care about you, Hatter. Just don't give up because it didn't work out between us. _

_Take care,_

_Alice_

Hatter threw the letter aside and went to a cabinet filled with what was left of the bottles of pearls grabbed a bottle containing a golden liquid and downed the whole thing in hopes his heart would burst.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: AH! You my dear wondrous readers are amazing! Thank you for all the favs, alerts and the reviews! Cookies and hugs from Hatter for all of you! Anywho, because of the downtime on here this took longer to post than I had hoped but here it is your chapter one. Please do enjoy and thank you! Your wonderfulness makes Hatter less... * looks over at Hatter who is trying to break the chain off the "Tea" cabinet * Such trouble he is, on ward! _

**Sledgehammer**

**A Syfy Mini-Series Alice Fanfic**

**Chapter One- Dinner Parties and Theatrics **

Hatter stared blankly at Charlie as he described his latest encounter with the Jabberwock to the full dinner table at the castles weekly dinner party. It had been several months since Alice made the choice to become Queen and she seemed happy, happier than Hatter had ever seen her. Hatter only attended the parties to make Alice feel better about hurting him. It didn't really matter to him anymore, she was if nothing else still his friend and after all the time he'd grown numb to ache in his stomach and chest. Alice laughed whole heartedly as Charlie spoke her fingers laced with Jack's as the sat at the far end of the table. When Charlie finished his story and sat back down Jack cleared his throat calling everyones attention towards royalty.

"Unlike most evenings we actually have something of great importance to discuss," Jack began as Alice nodded and took over. "I know this sounds," she paused thinking of the right words to say. "Bad coming from me but Caterpillar spoke of a prophecy the other day one involving an Oyster well girl if you will from my world coming here to Wonderland."

"What are you saying exactly, Alice?" Hatter snapped in a harsh tone pouring the contents of his tea cup back into the tea pot.

Alice glared at him for a moment before continuing, "If she does fall through the looking glass we will need someone to watch over her and since you seem so eager Hatter why don't you do us the honor of looking after her and no, you can not decline."

Hatter glared back at her as she settled into a smug smirk.

**Our World**

"Elle, we're going to be late. Hurry up."

Elle sighed as she shut off the shower in defeat and got out. She knew she looked like a wreck even with the mirror covered by a towel. Mirrors had started to creep her out a few weeks prior when she swore her reflection was watching her, staring back and not just because she was staring into it. She'd stopped wearing make up all together the cover up, the shadow and the eyeliner didn't help draw the attention away from the bags under her dull green eyes if anything it only enhanced them. She hadn't slept in days not because she didn't want to but because she was afraid of her dreams. They'd become more of outer body experiences than just average nightmares. Even in the deepest of sleep she'd still wake up the next morning exhausted her legs aching from all the running she did in her dream. Quickly she pulled the towel from the mirror so she could check to make sure she looked at least some what presentable. Her recently dyed red hair fell in waves around her face, cut short just below her chin. She dressed quickly in a black lace dress, honey mustard leggings and a dark pair of high heel boots before running out the door.

"About time," laughed Elle's best friend and roommate Briana as she watched Elle scurry around the room scooping up her purse and putting on her coat. Briana was tall blond and beautiful. She was an actress at the local community theater and tonight was the opening of the community theaters yearly story book production this years choice being _Alice in Wonderland,_ Briana starring as the lead, Alice. Briana and Elle nearly ran out the door and made a mad dash down a few blocks to the theater. Once they reached the theater Briana said a quick goodbye and hurried off to the dressing room.

Elle took her seat in the first row and waited as she always did. Elle went to every play at the community theater, not just because Briana was in most of them but when she was little her father used to take her. This production was especially meaningful to her considering it was her fathers favorite story, the man could even recite it word for word. Her father died when she was sixteen and after that Elle made it a point to memorize and every year on the day he died recite the story before going to bed. Only this year that day fell on the same day as the theaters production of _Alice in Wonderland_.

"Elle!"

Elle quickly snapped out of her thoughts with a quiet, "Huh?" but when she looked up she was greeted with the familiar face of her long time friend and Briana's high school sweetheart, Henry.

"Oh, Henry it's great to see you!" she replied rising to her feet and embracing him in a warm hug.

"Elle, darling you looks smashing," Henry said as he placed a kiss on each of her cheeks.

Henry had been her friend since she was in kindergarten and she only became friends with Briana after he started dating her late freshman year. They talked for while catching up after not seeing one another for a couple weeks and talked about Briana but soon the lights dimmed and the curtain parted. Briana's performance was flawless as always, she never once missed a cue or stumbled on a line. Briana in full character, finished talking with the Cheshire Cat and the lights died for a set change.

Elle's breath caught in her throat, the memory of her father acting out the next scene with such enthusiasm it was hard not to think him the Mad Hatter himself. As the lights rose and settled on the far left of the stage Elle knew she couldn't watch so she quickly excused herself to Henry and ran towards the exit doors leaving her coat behind. Tears had already filled her eyes blinding her as the cold night air of late November hit her face. She knew couldn't sit there and watch as her fathers favorite character was butchered by some amateur actor, for in her eyes only one man played the role of the Mad Hatter and that was her father.

That's when out the corner of her eye she saw something a bit off, an alley cat grinning up at her.


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hello lovelies, how are you doing today? I first of all want to thank all of you for reading, reviewing, faving, alerting, everything. You are wonderful and thank you for your kind support. _

_Otherwise this note is here to forewarn you. This fic is about to take some twists and turns that might leave you hating or hopefully loving it. This story is all developed from my screwed up mind (excluding the whole Syfy Alice plots and characters) and it's very, very deep in there. You've been warned. Reviews, praise and constructive criticism are appreciated. Flamers are unwelcome._

_Anywho, Thanks again. Enjoy!_

_Oh and little note if you have a Syfy Alice fic of your own there is now a category up for it under TV Shows called Alice, 2009. I'm changing my fic to it as we speak. Good luck and happy readings and writings!_

**Sledgehammer**

**A Syfy Mini-Series Alice Fanfic**

**Chapter Two- Falling Through Mirrors**

Hatter paced his empty tea shop. He'd run out of golden droplets of happiness and now felt lost as if he'd fallen into a deep black sea of depression.

"Hatter?" Dormouse asked as she watched him pace. "We can still reopen the shop, can't we?"

Hatter paused mid step and turned sharply on his heel to face Dormouse.

"No," he hissed. "No Dormouse, we can't."

"But there's more than enough tea left. Ratty found an entire shipment that had been lost when the house of cards fell."

Hatter's eyes widened. "Why haven't you brought them to me?"

"I can have Ra-

"Yes Dormouse, hurry, hurry!"

Hatter watched eagerly as Dormouse and Ratty moved several crates and as soon as they were done he ordered they retire.

"But Hat-

"Dormouse, out!" he yelled glaring at her and as soon as the door shut behind her he slammed his right fist down into the closest crate. It cracked open and he quickly rummaged through it's contents; innocence, lust, excitement, clear conscious... but no happiness. He did the same with the other crates the knuckles on his hand split open and bleeding but he ignored it searching for the one last anchor to his sanity. Only the old Queen's demand for new emotions left him without the one emotion he needed most. That's when he noticed a red-violet liquid labeled curiosity.

* * *

Elle rubbed her eyes and then focused her gaze back onto the cat but somehow it was still grinning.

'That's not possible,' she thought and then she remembered a line the Cheshire Cat said in the play, 'Well, some go this way, and some go that way. But as for me, myself, personally, I prefer the short-cut.'

She continued to stare at the cat until suddenly it took off down the alley and for some reason Elle felt the urge to follow after it. Maybe it was the fact she was a bit too curious for her own good but without a doubt in her mind she ran after it. She followed it down the alley into an abandoned building. It led her up a flight of stairs, down a hall and into an empty room but when she turned the corner into the room only containing a very large mirror the cat was gone. She walked over to the mirror framed in gold that reminded her of the kind of mirror you'd find in an old Victorian mansion. She stood only a mere inch or two away as she studied the mirror closer as it seemed to be swirling. Then suddenly she was roughly pushed from behind into the mirror but instead of shattering she fell through it. She fell and fell for several minutes through a swirling tunnel of literally electric color until she suddenly landed head first on the other side the impact instantly knocking her out.

* * *

Hatter had decided to try and mix happiness with a cocktail of compassion, generosity, excitement curiosity and hope. Desperately wanting his heart to simply explode like promised with excessive intake of pearls and he had long ago exceeded the recommended amount of intake but to his dismay his heart was still intact. He stumbled out the door higher on emotion than he'd ever been before. Outside everything seemed foreign, new, even strange and he found himself fascinated about the height at which his shop stood. As he leaned over the edge his feet teetering, barely capable of keeping him balanced he noticed a blond flash out the corner of his eye.

"Duchess?" he questioned out loud. He leaned backward to catch a better glimpse only to fall back onto his butt with a heavy thump and sure enough he saw The Duchess exiting the far alley. As soon as she was out of sight he lept to his feet and snuck over to the alley. The alley was dark and Hatter had a hard time making out his surroundings until he suddenly tripped over something solid. Hatter sat up quickly and in what little light the moon cast realized he'd fallen over an unconscious girl or what he hoped was unconscious. He leaned closer to her and could hear her breathing softly. With a small smile he lifted the girl up and carried her out of the alley and back into his shop, past his office and into his bedroom behind his office. As he laid her down on his bed he noticed the blood running down her face. Quickly he cleaned it up to reveal a gash in her head but luckily it wasn't too deep and so he placed a cloth over it and wrapped one of his ties around her head to hold even pressure on the wound.

After he was sure she was safe and some what comfortable he pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and sat lulling himself to sleep as he watched her chest rise and fall with each breath. His last thoughts lingering on the idea that maybe he'd taken too much.


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: I decided to write this up instead of doing homework early... opps. Thank you to everyone! Hatter hugs for all of you! Now I have to run off and do my homework before class. Enjoy!_

**Sledgehammer**

**A Syfy Mini-Series Alice Fanfic**

**Chapter Three- Rough Morning**

Both awoke with a pounding headache, Elle because of her hard landing and Hatter because of an overdose of emotion and a shrill scream. When Elle woke up she couldn't help but scream not only was she in an unfamiliar room, in someone else's bed but a strange man was asleep in a chair beside her. Hatter awoke with a start his heart and head pounding too fast for his lungs to keep up. Before him stood a very confused and frightened girl yet he couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"What the hell is going on? Where am I? And who the hell are you?" she asked a hand pressed to her chest as if she couldn't breath. Which under the circumstances she was surprised she could.

Hatter couldn't help but laugh. She looked utterly ridiculous with his tie around her head and her eyes as wide as saucers. "Darling, you have a tie on your head."

Slowly Elle reached up and pulled the tie off, the cloth falling to her feet. She looked down at it eying it's crimson shade and then reached a hand up to her head and winced at the contact. Hatter just sat watching her making his own various facial expressions upon each gesture she made.

"You alright?" Hatter asked with genuine concern that for some very odd reason that he was incapable of placing. 'Probably side effects of the Pearls,' he thought.

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Your kidding right. Oh God, tell me I'm dreaming."

Hatter shook his head causing the ache to worsen. "This," he gestured toward the space around him. "Is Wonderland."

"Wond...," she look taken back. "Funny but honestly now tell me the truth."

He sighed. "This here is my tea shop and outside my tea shop is Wonderland."

"I don't believe you," She exhaled in frustration.

"Well your going to be quite lost if you don't," he replied rubbing his temples.

She looked at him and gave him a long hard once over. His dark brown hair was in knots and it stood up in ways that could almost defy gravity. He wore a tan straw hat, nearly matching shoes, an olive green shirt and a pair of maroon slacks. On anyone else the color combination would make you sick but somehow he managed to look somewhat charming. Yet then again maybe it was just the rich color of his brown eyes. He was a handsome man to say the least.

"Whatcha staring at love?" he asked scaring her out of her thoughts.

"Oh...," She wasn't sure what to say. "Well, who are you?"

"Hatter," he smiled weakly until her adorably confused face was replaced with a deep frown.

She glared at him. "Whatever joke your playing sir, isn't funny."

Then she ran out of his room. Quickly Hatter got to his feet and followed. "No, Darling wait it's not like that."

As she opened the front doors of the tea shop she suddenly stopped and Hatter unexpectedly ran into the back of her. She stood as if frozen in place looking around at the buildings and the various drop offs surrounding every one of them. "Where?" she started but Hatter leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Wonderland."

She jumped startled by his close proximity and then turned around sharply. "If this is really... real, then your really Hatter."

He gave her a confused look. "Have we met before?"

"No," she replied breathlessly. "That's really your name. It just means your not lying."

Slowly he shook his head. "Nope, no need for theatrics."

She just stared at him as he rocked back and forth on his heels staring back at her then he opened his mouth to speak but she spoke first.

"How'd I get here?"

He sighed heavily growing tired of her questions. "I assume you fell."

She continued to give him a blank look. Not sure of what to say he finished his previous thought. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

He watched as she seemed to give the question serious thought then nodded. "I'm Elle by the way."

He smiled as she said her name and led her back into the tea shop a lone thought crossing his mind. 'Did I just smile?'

* * *

Duchess entered the throne room early the next morning.

Alice who had been gazing out the large windows reminiscing of the past few months looked up in surprise not expecting anyone else to be awake at that early.

"Duchess," she greeted with a shocked tone. "What has you up at this hour?"

"I got word of the girl. She's here in Wonderland."

"Where is she?" Alice asked eagerly.

Duchess shook her head. "That is unknown at the moment."

Alice thought to herself for several moments before speaking. "Send out word that the Kingdom should be on the look out for her."

"But your Majesty I thought Hatter was supposed to find and watch over her."

Alice shook her head. "I couldn't ask that of him. It was just a silly fight. He doesn't need to be bothered with this."

The Duchess quirked a brown then nodded, "As you wish."

"Thank you," Alice replied as Duchess made her exit.

The Duchess though had other plans. She stopped the first Card she saw. "Spread news that the girl is here. If she is found bring her to me." Then she leaned closer her breath hot on the Card's face. "And you will be graciously rewarded."

The Ten of Clubs nodded nervously and then he leaned toward her ear and asked in a low voice. "Duchess, what are you up too?"

The Duchess just gave him a glare and walked off.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks as always for everything! You're all amazing, beautiful, wonderful people and for that your Hatter cuddle dolls are being shipped out as we speak. Anywho, I had my sister help me brainstorm ideas just to get the juices flowing and it really got me excited for the next few chapters so after the holidays updates should go pretty quick, crossing fingers and toes. Sorry, this took so long to post I rewrote it five times and on top of that was out for two days due to exhaustion.

**Sledgehammer**

**A Syfy Mini-Series Alice Fanfic**

**Chapter Four- Butterflies and Tea**

Hatter threw a kettle full of water onto the stove top and turned around to start a search for cups when he noticed Elle digging through the crates of Pearls and he nearly had a heart attack.

"No, no, no," he yelled as he ran over to her and yanked her several feet from the crates. Startled by his sudden outburst she stared at him with wide eyes. "Elle, please don't touch those," he exhaled sharply.

She raised a brow and asked "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really." He snapped rolling his eyes.

That only made her lips curl upward into a smirk. "You wouldn't mind telling me why then, would you?"

His face scrunched up into a look of disgust. "It's none of your business."

She sucked in a quick breath. "This could be a problem."

He gave her a questioning look. "Oh?"

"I don't know how I can trust a man who harbors large crates filled with unknown probably toxic chemicals and then refuses to explain why. It just isn't sane."

He just glared at her but then she turned and headed towards the door.

He sighed his shoulders slumping over. "They're called Pearls. It's human emotion in a consumable form. It's basically a quick fix to keep people happy, we sometimes call it tea."

She gave him a look of disbelief, "Your trying to drug me?"

"No! I was making chai. Plus even if I gave you some it wouldn't effect you," he quickly informed her shaking his head. "But since you don't trust me your probably doing the right thing by leaving."

She watched as he collapsed into a chair and buried his head in his hands.

After several moments she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder before leaning closer to him and whispering, "Chai's my favorite you know."

Several hours and five pots of tea later the two were practically rolling around on the floor laughing but neither were really sure why. They had talked about nothing of great importance most of the conversation consisted of childish banter. Hatter calmed himself down and was about to say something when a heavy knock at the door stole his attention. He immediately tensed and ordered Elle to hide in the bedroom and she didn't protest not after seeing the look on his face. Hatter made sure she was out of sight before opening the door only to release the breath he had been holding once he saw Charlie.

"Charlie, what are you doing here?" He snapped looking past his friend and checking his surroundings. Charlie gave him a curious look.

"I came to check on you, son. You seem a bit tense."

Hatter made a face before pulling Charlie into the shop and locking the door behind him. He then spoke in a hushed voice. "I think I found the girl."

Charlie's face lit up. "Alice, will be so please!"

Hatter quickly shook his head. "No! Charlie, listen Alice can't know."

"Is she vermin?"

Hatter rolled his eyes. "Alice said to watch over her. That's what I'm doing. Once I know she's safe... I'll take care of it."

Charlie nodded and then he smiled and anxiously looked at Hatter before asking, "Can I meet her?"

Hatter sighed heavily but nodded, knowing of all the people in Wonderland as out there as Charlie was he could trust him. Charlie followed Hatter to back room and then through the door to his bedroom. Elle looked at them in surprise but Hatter only made a ridiculous face and sat down beside her on the bed. "Elle, this is my friend Charlie . Charlie this is Elle."

Elle giggled as Charlie bowed. "Miss Elle it is an honor."

"Please sir the pleasure is all mine," She replied extending her arm. Charlie took her hand and kissed it lightly.

Elle spent the next few hours listening to Charlie tell stories about his adventures fighting the Jabberwocky and explaining how Hatter and him met but as it got later Charlie dozed off. Elle quietly got to her feet and wandered out of the room in search of Hatter who had disappeared shortly after Charlie began his storytelling. She found him sitting in his egg shaped chair spinning as he scanned the room he had spent the last few hours cleaning up but he stopped with a jerking halt when he caught sight of her entering the room. "Did he bore himself to death?"

Elle laughed and Hatter felt a strange tightness in his chest. "Just to sleep, thankfully."

Hatter just watched her as she nervously swayed under his gaze. "I like Charlie," she spoke. "He's sweet."

"Do you think I'm sweet?" he asked only to mentally kick himself for it.

She smiled shyly. "Yes, your sweet too only in a much different way."

He desperately wanted to ask her 'what way?' but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Not with the sullen look in her eyes.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked his voice so soft it was barely audible.

She shrugged, "Just sleepy."

"Go to sleep, then."

She sighed nervously. "I feel something awful though, for hogging your bed. It's rude of me to let you sleep out here in that silly chair after you've been so nice to me."

He chuckled lightly, "Darling, what are you saying?"

She smiled sheepishly. "It's big enough we could share it you know."

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

She shook her head, "You wouldn't."

"Alright," he agreed standing up and then following her back into his bedroom. They laid down facing each other and crawled under the blankets. After a few moments of laying in silence Elle spoke. "Hatter?"

"Hmm," he mumbled his eyes shut tight.

"Thank you... for everything."

He opened his eyes and looked at her before smiling. "Your welcome."

She smiled back then leaned over and placed a light peck on his cheek. Then she rolled over and shut her eyes.

His heart beat rapidly and his chest ached as he suddenly found himself breathless.


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: Hi everyone, thank you for everything (reviews, favs, alerts etc.) it's really apprieciated. I honestly can't thank you all enough._

_I owe a lot of this chapter to Dr. LaLa __who helped edit this chapter so I give tons of credit to him. Thank you!_

**Sledgehammer**

**A Syfy Mini-Series Alice Fanfic**

**Chapter Five- Waking Up**

Hatter jumped awake, startled, at the sound of a heavy pound at his door from an unidentified fist. The noise echoed through his tea shop with an eerie ring. Slowly and as quietly as possible he slid out of bed, taking care not to disturb Elle or Charlie as they peacefully slept. As he did, one of Elle's eyelids fluttered open a bit as she silently stirred to consciousness, completely unnoticed by Hatter. She quietly watched him exit the room before silently getting up and peering out of the office door's keyhole over to where Hatter now stood. "Don't get your tea cups all chipped", Hatter hoarsely mumbled to subdue the knocking, as he fumbled around for the right combination of keys. The very second the right combination was found, and the fifth lock clicked unlocked, the door flung open; causing Hatter to be thrown downward, and his hat in the opposite direction. Four burley intruders filled the doorway. He instinctively swung his closed fist at the closest, resulting in a sickening crack from his victim's jaw. Two more intruders (and the strongest, as Hatter would emphasize years later), managed to pin him down. His eyes tried to focus on who his captors were. "You know, you could have called first, Duchess," he said to a darkly-hooded creature who was standing out of the way. The next thing he knew, he saw the butt of a gun coming towards his temporal lobe, and then everything quickly faded to black.

Elle crouched in the doorway and watching the entire scene unfold. She was scared stiff and even though she wanted to cry out and her mind screamed "Help him!", her body and her mouth were frozen still. She wordlessly watched as they dragged Hatter's now-limp body from the shop and out of view. The instant the door slammed shut, she quickly darted over to where Charlie lay sleeping and jabbed him in the rib. He awoke with a grunt, and was about to unleash a stream of knightly curses, but the look on Elle's face stopped him. "What's the matter?", he asked in a still slightly sleepy tone.

"Hatter's been kidnapped!"

Charlie responsively jumped to his feet and raced towards the door. Elle, following close behind, swept up Hatter's hat as she passed it. Charlie threw open the front door and with the morning sun pouring in, revealed that there was no trace of Hatter or his captors to be found. Elle's eyes swelled with tears, try it as she might hide them from Charlie. Charlie placed a hand gently on her shoulder, "Don't worry Miss Elle, we will get him back."

Charlie ran out the door and headed for the tool shed to grab his armor before they set out to find Hatter. Alone, Elle put on Hatter's hat along with his jacket that she had found abandoned on his egg chair. On hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around expecting to see Charlie returning from the backroom, but was surprised that this wasn't the case.

"Where's Hatter?" asked a plump woman with a mustache as a very ragged looking man behind her drew his knife. "And why are you wearing his hat?"


End file.
